All about Drones, Quadcopters and Tricopters

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Updated November 19th, 2018 UPDATE: Still no official word on the DJI Phantom 5, but rumors are swirling that November 28th might be the release date. Read below for more details. — There’s a lot of rumors and leaks surrounding the upcoming DJI Phantom 5, but is any of it true? We scoured the internet …

Founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux, Parrot is a drone company that is all about fun and features.

It may not be the fastest or greatest photography option, but Parrot always knows how to stand out.

The new Parrot Anafi is another great example of a mainstream drone with style.

We got our hands on one and have run it through various performance tests.

There are a few quirks, but for the most part, this drone is setting the bar high.

Let’s dive into this exciting new release and find out if it lives up to the hype.

Notable Features

The Parrot Anafi is a small drone, and it compacts for easy travel. It’s equipped with a 4K camera with HDR capabilities. You also get a lossless digital zoom with 180 degrees of tilt.

We spent a few hours testing this camera out and we can say that the two-axis (mechanical) gimbal is truly interesting: why does Parrot only stabilise two and not three axis mechanically?

Well, the results are smooth, you can hardly question that, but only as long as you’re not moving the drone suddenly.

The camera features a zoom: up to 1.4x in 4K or even up to 2.8x in Full HD.

The zoom is, for a drone that costs less than 1.000$, promising, it works well and let’s you get creative!

Another marketed feature of the Parrot Anafi is the 180-degree tilt. What is really cool is the upwards facing camera. DJI cameras, for example, can be titled up only a bit and if you do so, you’ll end up seeing the propellers. With this point, the Parrot Anafi clearly excels.

The general built-quality though is – let me call it modest, but you at least have various smart-modes that help you get your shots with finesse. You have lots of options, such as Orbit, waypoint, Dolly Zoom, Hyperlapse, and Slow Motion to go with the standard auto-follow.

How the Parrot Anafi Performs

First, the drone that I got for my review was not flyable, it was dead.

The second one I got had the propellers screwed onto it the wrong order, which made it flip and die.

That says a lot about their QC!

One of our favorite things advertised with the Anafi was being able to hold it in your hands and watch it lift off. This makes impromptu filming much easier, as you don’t need to bring a separate controller with you. The overall built quality is low, compared to other drone manufacturers.

That is to say that you already have some beginner skills piloting drones.

Because it is a compact and lightweight drone, you’ll need to be able to judge the wind with some degree of accuracy. Filming in windy conditions is a bit of a struggle. The anti-vibration and stabilization of the camera try to keep up with conditions.

At some point, we did run out of battery, but it seemed like we got around 20 minutes per flight. Depending on how windy it is, your mileage may vary.

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It’s safe to say that GoPro has a leg up on the popular opinion race because they’re GoPro. Who doesn’t know GoPro? They revolutionized high-quality, immersive cameras and then they made them accessible and affordable.

So, they’ve got that going for them.

You can’t hold that against Insta360, though because it’s a lot to live up to. However, when it comes to the world of 360 cameras, they’re turning up some serious heat.

Those are some pretty major assets for you but that’s not all. What other features has GoPro added to its Fusion model to sweeten the deal? For starters, there’s no denying it’s part of the GoPro family. It’s got a tough, easy to hold body covered in friction material that makes it harder for you to drop.

Which is good, for two reasons:

1. Things are slippery when wet. This helps you hang onto it underwater if you’re shooting without additional equipment or removing it from wet equipment.

2. Lenses are fragile and with 360 cameras and one scratch can be a huge deal. The GoPro Fusion lenses are super durable.

Speaking of the lenses, the dual lens set up means that it records to two MicroSD cards at the same time and offers seamless wireless uploads. There are no extra cables to carry around (or misplace) with this camera.

The GoPro Fusion also boasts 360 audio, helping you not only make sure your video and audio match, but the perspective of sound changes as you move around the video.

You get Overcapture, available through the app. This is GoPro’s editing tool that effectively lets you unpeel your 360 videos like an orange and turn them into flawless, traditional videos. It’s been a major selling point for these kinds of cameras.

Right away, you probably noticed that the Insta360 One X is not waterproof out of the box. You will need to purchase an additional case.

The cool thing about this is that you get two options with the Insta360 One X:

Venture Case which goes up to 5 meters deepDive Case which goes up to 50 meters deep

Insta360 One X also gives you options when it comes to file transfers. You can always conveniently upload over wifi but you can also upload with a MicroUSB to USB cable. This can be a game changer if you need to edit your footage fast.

Insta360 One X can regulate its own temperature. When you’re shooting continually for an hour, this feature can be really nice. It’s also advertised as being impact resistant.

It’s extremely streamlined and easy to hang onto, especially with the grip-friendly coating.

The app for Insta360 One X is compatible with any newer mobile device and offers in-app editing tools are awesome for quickly editing nearly every aspect of your video from the basics like exposure and contrast all the way to video speed. The app is sometimes laggy though.

Both of these cameras have dual ultra wide angle lenses. Both offer incredible video quality, and both offer roughly an hour of continuous shooting, depending on your settings and battery configuration.

The GoPro Fusion does get warm after an hour, whereas the Insta360 One X is able to minimize that issue through temperature regulation.

One of the biggest tech differences is in the video quality. While GoPro Fusion technically shoots at 5.7K/30p, it’s only capable of rendering at 5.2K/30p. Side by side quality differences are nominal, however, and both hold their own.

They both have an impressive list of accessories for purchase, aimed at enhancing your videos, depending on what kind of environment you’re shooting in. Probably the coolest accessory out of all of these kinds of cameras though is the Drifter.

The Drifter lets you snap the Insta360 One X into it and throw it like a football. As it torpedos through the air, you’re getting amazing perspective in your videos.

At the end of the day, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t need the low down on the two best 360 cameras on the market right now. Despite being similar to one another, there are a lot of unique features between both the GoPro Fusion and the Insta360 One X.

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